Winter Rose Care & Pruning
Although major rose pruning is not done until late February into early March, there are a few things I do to get roses settled in for the winter. First, I wait until the first frost has occurred before I do anything. That happened on December 1 this year, a little later than normal. If you do any pruning prior to that, new growth will be encouraged, and it will just be nipped later. I will then do minimal pruning, about 1/3 of the plant or to about waist-high. It does not matter how you make the cuts. More precise pruning will be done in late winter. Giving roses a slight pruning at this time will decrease the damage from strong winter winds. Roses are not deeply rooted, and any long canes can spell trouble. Pick off any remaining leaves, if possible. I know that can be a big job if there are still many leaves left on the plant but you don't want leaves, especially diseased leaves, left to fall and harbor spores for next season. Clean the area around the base of the rose. Rake out ...
I have always admired the passion vine. I don't think I can grow it here. I have a clematis that looks very similar when it blooms but it is one of those short ones that I often overlook. Maybe with all this global warming I should try the Passionflower. When I see pictures like yours it makes me want to try.
ReplyDeleteI too like the Passionflower. Mine is growing abundantly this year. So many blooms. The funny little green fruit it makes -- we picked them when we were kids; called them apricots. They tasted awful!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid and we picked cotton by hand and sometimes we would find something that looked very similar to this in the cotton field. The flowers were gone when cotton picking time came around but the vines often had produced some kind of fruit. Usually only one to two pods, for lack of a better description. And the fruit was, well, not something you would serve guests or even take to house. But it was sweet and gooey and fun to eat when the last thing you wanted to be doing was picking cotton and stuffing it in a sack.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw this, I looked it up on wiki. According to that site there's about 500 species of these flowering plants. So I'm wondering if this one produces fruit and if so, have you ever heard of anyone eating it except for bored little barefoot boys picking cotton?
David, I don't recall seeing any fruits on mine but I will keep a look out.
ReplyDeleteNature never ceases to amaze. How she came up with something so interesting as that flower (I haven't seen them before) is beyond me.
ReplyDeletePassion vines showed up in my South Carolina garden. Those flowers look like space aliens to me. :o)
ReplyDeletePhillip, I've never grown that variety of passionflower, but I have some that grow along my deck. They were not profuse this year because the morning glories beat them out, but last year, Gulf Fritillaries frolicked all over it. It was like music in motion. I love the color of your passionflowers, and they are such a food for Fritillary caterpillars. Have a beautiful weekend.~~Dee
ReplyDeleteWow, those blooms are amazing. I did grow them here a few years ago, and enjoyed a few of those gorgeous flowers. But for the next two years there wasn't a single bloom. I gave up, tried to tear it out, but it has other ideas. It keeps trying to sneak back into my garden! I just wish it would bloom.
ReplyDeleteFantastic flower, great colors :) Regards
ReplyDeletePhillip my passion flowers have large green oval seed pods about the size of a large egg. The seeds inside are gooey.
ReplyDelete